December 2009
Table of Contents
We want to know what you want to know! Email education@doba.com with your suggestions of what you want to see in future issues of the Doba eNewsletter. Also, check out our new blog at DropShippingBlog.com for drop ship news, information, commentary, and community.
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Featured Article: Are You Prepared for
2010? |
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'How Do You Doba?' Contest:
And the Winners Are... |
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Marketplace Spotlight: Wrapping Up 2009 |
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Member Q&A: 10 Tips to Protect Your Business from Fraudsters |
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Supplier Information: New Suppliers
and Products from the Doba Product Catalog |
Featured Article: Are You Prepared for 2010?
December '09 is almost over and 2010 is impatiently pushing itself into the spotlight. Are you prepared are you for 2010? The new year presents a great opportunity for you as an online retailer to review 2009 and prepare to start out 2010 on the right foot.
It's back to the fundamentals of what makes a business healthy and strong, a great foundation. Check out our Education Center for helpful information in the form of recorded Webinars, Multimedia Tutorials, and archived Articles, Newsletters, and Elite Seller Reports.
Here are some articles that will get you started:
- Looking Back to Move Forward
- 7 Fundamentals that will get Retailers to the Super Bowl
- Choosing Your Market Niche
- Blogging to Boost Your Business Part I: Understanding Blogs and How They Can Help Your Business
Be sure to read this month's Member Q&A: 10 Tips to Protect Your Business from Fraudsters, for more information that will help the your business handle possible fraud situations.
'How Do You Doba?' Contest: And the Winners Are...
We recently wrapped up a very successful user contest called 'How Do You Doba?'. One thing that we learned is that there are still a lot of creative and energetic Doba members doing well as online retailers using our drop shipping service.
The winners we selected are:
First Place
Derek Y.
http://ikeswholesale.com/
Second Place
Tammy G.
http://kteesworld.net/
Third Place
Mike B.
http://www.cheapforme.com/
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Marketplace Spotlight: Wrapping Up 2009
By Jeff Knight, Vice President of Marketplace - Doba
Before getting into this month's Marketplace Spotlight, I wanted to personally thank you, on behalf of all of us, for another great year and for using Doba! With a tumultuous economic year passing and 2010 being forecasted to be a rough year for retail – direct fulfillment options will continue to grow in popularity as an essential part of retail strategy. We look forward to growing with you and helping you navigate 2010’s waters – no matter what they bring.
For this month, I plan on ending the year with a bit of house keeping and a bit of a preview of what to expect in 2010.
First thing, Doba estimated last day for funded orders to reach consumers via standard ground service is Tuesday, December 15th . For all media (books, CD, and DVD) the cut-off date is much more tenuous and difficult to pin down. We are going with December 11th. USPS does not provide any estimated delivery times for media Mail but orders placed in this time frame will generally be delivered in time. We will be pushing suppliers to accept and process orders as quickly as possible the last two weeks and in general, if an order is paid and accepted by the supplier on Tuesday, December 15th – the package should be received by December 24th. There are huge exceptions and caveats to this statement. First, consumers who live in rural, remote areas with limited delivery windows could fall beyond the normal delivery window. Second, none of the carriers guarantee delivery by a date for standard package types making the cut-off date simply estimates and guidelines.
As many of you have probably noticed, over the last several months Doba has been subtly enhancing the catalog and making some noticeable improvements.
- First, we have begun to roll out multiple images for products. Not all suppliers can currently support multiple images but we will continue to make strides in 2010.
- We launched a 'Related Products' section on every product
- In addition to the supplier scorecard being included on each product, all of additional supplier information is now included directly on the product page.
In 2010, you can expect:
- Auto-notification feature for inventory fluctuations
- Expanded selection of 'Doba Deals'
- Enhanced navigation to help filter, sort and find new, hot selling, and unique SKUs in the catalog.
- Standardization, including drop fees, shipping times, and returns policies on many of the very best items in the Doba catalog across all categories and suppliers.
I can whole-heartedly tell you I have never been more excited about the future and Doba’s 2010 offering then I am right now. From the manufacturer acceptance of supporting Doba retailers to the solidifying of our technology – 2010 is looking to be a lot of fun and hopefully, prosperous for you!
Again, thank you for support in 2009 and we look forward to supporting you in the future.
About the Author:
As the Vice President of Marketplace, Jeff Knight is responsible for all aspects
of the merchandising strategy, supplier acquisition, and vertical category management
and fulfillment operations of Doba's marketplace. Prior to Doba, Jeff was Director
of Merchandising for Overstock.com where he developed the growth and management
of the Computer and Home Office category. Jeff's background includes merchandising
and technology leadership roles at DealDeal.com and BCI International. He earned
Bachelor and Masters of Arts degrees in Communication from the University of
Wyoming.
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Member Q&A: 10 Tips to Protect Your Business from Fraudsters
By Cody Tate, Fraud Prevention Specialist - Doba
Smell that? It is hot chocolate and fruit cake. It is the smell of pine trees and apple cider. That’s right; it is the Christmas shopping season. Thanksgiving has come and gone, and Black Friday is now in the rear view mirror. With Christmas right around the corner and online sales increasing, so does the potential for fraud. These online crooks know that this time of year is the best time to strike. They are fully aware that online retailers will see a spike with their online businesses. Knowing this, they understand that some may let their guard down to try and hurry through order processing to maintain their quick ship times. With that in mind here are a few quick tips to keep you on top of your own store security, and to help maintain a Christmas season that is full of happiness, not added stress:
- Understand as much as possible about your buyer. The more you know about your buyer, the better. Compare your buyer's contact information to his or her buyer account, payment account, and the shipping address associated with the transaction platform. This information should almost always match, and when it doesn't, it can mean big trouble for you—the seller.
- If your gut is telling you that something's wrong with the transaction, contact the buyer by any means necessary, including phone, to confirm or alleviate your suspicions. If the buyer will not give out his or her telephone number or refuses to answer even the most basic of questions, you may be dealing with a fraudulent order/buyer.
- Avoid buyers who ask you to ship an item to a country other than the one in which their payment originates. Buyers who ask you to ship to a country other than the one from which their payment originates are typically trying to defraud you. Do not participate in these sorts of transactions unless you are absolutely certain you are not dealing with a scammer.
- Before selling anything online, first find out what steps your transaction platform and payment processor require you to take for your transaction to be covered by their fraud protection program. If fraud protection is offered, make sure all of your transactions follow appropriate guidelines.
- Examine your buyer's feedback. If the transaction platform, such as eBay, Yahoo! Auctions, or Overstock.com, offers buyer’s feedback, be sure to conduct a thorough review of your buyer's past transactional history.
- Do not deal with buyers who insist on receiving a shipment tracking number prior to making payment. A product should never be delivered before you—the seller—receive and verify payment. Also, payment processors such as PayPal and MoneyGram will never ask you—the seller—for a shipment tracking number prior to releasing the buyer's funds.
- Be wary of escrow sites recommended by your buyer. If you choose to use an online escrow service or agent, the only site that is widely recommended is Escrow.com.
- Avoid International orders, because they can be very problematic. If a problem occurs with an international transaction, it could be much more difficult to resolve if the buyer is located outside the country from which you conduct business.
- Be wary of buyers offering payment above your asking price in exchange for expedited shipping services. Offers to pay additional funds well above your asking price should always be considered suspect and handled with extra caution.
- Pay special attention to orders made for gift purposes. Mismatches between billing and shipping information should be reviewed thoroughly. Many popular transaction platforms and payment processors do not provide fraud protection for sellers who deal with buyers who make gift-related purchases.
Although Doba, online marketplaces (such as eBay), and your payment processors (such as PayPal or MoneyGram) have systems in place to protect you from falling victim of online fraud, you need to learn some basic self defense. By following these tips for every single order you receive, you can significantly reduce your exposure to online fraud.
About the Author:
As our Fraud Prevention Specialist, Cody is responsible for ensuring that all orders placed through Doba's award-winning platform are free of fraud and on the up-and-up. Previously, Cody worked as a call center manager for MasterCard. When he's not working, Cody can be found alongside so many other Doba employees cheering on BYU's football and basketball teams, as well as traveling the world.
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Supplier Information: New Suppliers and Products from the Doba Product
Catalog
Starting an online business is relatively easy. Making it a success takes hard work and the right mix of products. To help you achieve your business-related goals, we recently added new wholesale suppliers and manufacturer to the Doba Catalog:
Supplier MiCasa - MiCasa specializes in specialty home appliances. It would be easy to find a gift for anyone within the family!
Aroma 7-Cup Pot-Style Rice Cooker Red |
Hoover Wind Tunnel Pet Cyclonic Vacuum |
Santa Fe QM2R Quesadilla Maker |
Supplier Buckthorn - Buckthorn is a distributor who offers a wide range of wholesale goods. They have products covering the home and garden, electronics, gaming, and toys categories, as well as tons of other categories.
Coca Cola Pub Stool with Back |
Euro-Pro Toaster Oven Remanufactured |
The Bean Elite and Flex 10 - Ultimate Exerciser |
